A meeting scheduled to take place between the Irish Republican Party Saoradh and a Libyan based political organisation was hampered by a British Courts refusal to allow Saoradh’s National Chairperson to travel to it.
Saoradh’s Chairperson Stephen Murney had sought to travel to Malta to meet with Libyan political representatives.
Being bound by draconian bail conditions the Newry based Republican had to submit a bail variation application to stay in Malta for 3 days.
In an act of absurdity the Crown Forces vociferously objected to the application, thus denying Stephen the right to promote the political analysis of Revolutionary Socialist Republicans in Ireland to a wider international audience.
Making a number of bizarre allegations the prosecution objected on a number of grounds including:
*Political convictions of a Derry based activist who was also to travel to the meeting.
*Alleged that Saoradh and the Libyan organisation promote violence. (This is completely untrue as both organisations are constituted political organisations)
*They believe that Stephen will have unlimited access to other person(s) of a like mind to whom he can attempt to gain support for the activities of a proscribed organisation namely the IRA. (Again this completely false as it is a political meeting and nothing else).
Slamming the decision from the Party’s Derry headquarters Paddy Gallagher said “In fact last year Stephen was able to meet with the Libyan activists in a public venue in Dublin with no issues. Given that a British court has now refused permission to travel to a follow up meeting is simply vindictive.
“Saoradh is a perfectly legitimate political party involved in political activism across Ireland and beyond. It is not a crime to be a member of Saoradh. To try and criminalise these political views is an erosion of human rights and freedom of political expression.”
ENDS/CRÍOCH
CLANRYE NEWS 